The Final Straw
by ChoCedric
Summary: "You're no son of mine!" Walburga Black screamed. "Well, you know what?" Sirius roared back. "That's fine, because I don't want to be your son! I'm leaving!" My take on the confrontation the night Sirius ran away from home.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

The Final Straw

By: ChoCedric

Sirius Black sat dejectedly at the dinner table at Number Twelve, Grimauld Place, or, as he preferred to call it, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bullshit. He was sixteen years old, and he hated this house with a fierce, burning passion. He just wanted to get the hell out of here; he was sick of his family and the pureblood garbage they spewed out every single day.

Regulus, his little brother, was someone to be pitied, Sirius thought with disgust as he stared at him. He swallowed everything Walburga and Orion Black drilled into him; he was proud of being a "noble pureblood." No matter how much Sirius begged him to not go down the path his parents wanted for him, Regulus swore he would be loyal to his family.

His mother, Walburga, was a complete maniac. Whenever Sirius broached a topic that was not to her taste, her response was to scream so loudly at him that it made his ears ring. His father, Orion, never screamed, but spoke in a cool, composed voice, but his words were full of biting sarcasm whenever he spoke to Sirius.

Kreacher, their house-elf, was stark raving bonkers. He wanted nothing better than to have his head pinned to the wall along with all his ancestors. He was completely in love with his "mistress," and Sirius hated him as much as he hated his parents. Any house-elf whose sole goal in life was to be beheaded was a lunatic, he thought bitterly.

Regulus scowled at Sirius as he took a noisy bite out of his chicken leg, deliberately chewing with his mouth open to annoy his parents. "Mmmm, this is goo'," he mumbled, grinning. His plan worked, too, for Walburga immediately opened her mouth to speak.

"You will chew with your mouth closed, and you will not talk with your mouth full, Sirius! This is not the way to behave in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black!" she yelled.

"Yes, Mother," Sirius said, injecting the most disrespect that he possibly could into the words. "Whatever."

"You will not speak to your mother in that way, Sirius," said Orion in his calm voice, but there was a steely glint in his gray eyes. Sirius had inherited those eyes, along with the sleek black hair.

"Don't mind him, Mother, Father," said Regulus importantly. "It's the influence of all those filthy Mudbloods he's spending time with at school."

Sirius knew he shouldn't rise to the bait, but every time that disgusting word left anyone's mouth, it caused his hackles to rise. He was revolted that he'd so casually tossed that word around when he was a child.

"Don't use that horrible language!" he snarled, glaring at his little brother angrily.

Regulus just smirked, totally ignoring Sirius's comment. "So," he said, looking at his parents again. "Have you heard the news? The Dark Lord is growing in power, and soon enough, he will rule the wizarding world."

"Yes, and I think he has the right idea," murmured Mr. Black. "The wizarding race needs to be purified."

Sirius slammed down his fork; he'd truly had enough of this. "So you think Voldemort has the right idea, do you?" he hissed venomously.

"Don't say his name!" cried Regulus shakily.

"Voldemort!" shouted Sirius. "Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort!"

"Sirius Black!" roared Walburga. "You will stop that this instant!"

"I will not," said Sirius defiantly, his gray eyes staring right at her. "Voldemort's killing people, and you think he has the right idea? Killing is wrong."

"You're choosing the wrong side, brother," Regulus said. "Do you really want to see all your little friends die? I bet that Mudblood Lily Evans'll be first."

"Shut your filthy mouth, Reg, you're such a copycat," Sirius snarled. "You just spout everything the older Slytherins at school say. You don't really believe it, do you?"

"Of course he believes it, you abomination!" screamed his mother. "And you'd do best to change your ways, otherwise you will be nothing but a corpse!"

"How about I DON'T CARE?" Sirius roared right back. "At least if I die, I'll go down fighting for what I believe in!"

Mrs. Black stood up, her face contorted with rage. "SHAME OF MY FLESH!" she howled. "ABOMINATION! WE WOULD ALL HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF IF YOU HAD DIED IN MY WOMB!"

"You are a very, very big disappointment to this entire family," said Mr. Black, looking his son in the face with deep disapproval.

"YOU ARE NO SON OF MINE!" Walburga shrieked.

"Well, you know what?" Sirius yelled, getting up from his chair so fast that it toppled over. "That's just fine, Mother, because I don't want to be your son! I'm leaving!"

And with that, he stormed out of the room, knowing that this was the final straw, that tonight he was running away from this hellhole and never, ever returning. He'd go to James's; he and his parents had always said that if things got unbearable here, he could always stay with them.

Soon, he had his trunk packed, and he dragged it downstairs and to the front door. His family were all standing there, and he knew from the looks on their faces that they wouldn't try to stop him. As a matter of fact, they'd be glad to be rid of him.

"Well, goodbye, and good riddance," Sirius smirked as he opened the door.

"SHAME OF MY FLESH!" Walburga screamed again.

"Ah, Mother, can't you think of an insult that's a bit more ... original?" Sirius grinned wickedly. To this, Walburga let out an incoherent roar.

"Know that when you walk out that door, you can never return," said Orion slowly.

"Don't worry. I won't be back," said Sirius as he pointed his middle finger at all three of his family members. "Have a nice life."

And with that, he went out of the house, slamming the door behind him. The next thing he heard was an explosion from within, and he knew his name had just been blasted from the tapestry.

But he didn't care. The joy and exhilaration that swarmed through him was overpowering, and as he summoned the Knight Bus, a smile of delight graced his handsome features.

He was free!


End file.
